Did the upper classes of the world agree together to screw everyone else?

[begin_within]

[Double T]

1. Throughout history, always have, always will

[Redstone]

12. You got that right.

And it's never going to change, so why agonize over it?

Redstone

[Vincardog]

2. OH

YES

[PatrioticLeftie]

3. It's an unspoken agreement n/t

[Melodybe]

4. Pretty much, why else would they kill all of our leaders?

[notadmblnd]

5. No, that would be a conspiracy nd everyone knows there's no such thing

:sarcasm:

These people are manipulated by fear. Fear that they are going to lose what is most precious to them, their money and possessions. They are constantly told that there are evil people out there trying to take it away from them. Whether it's muslims, blacks, poor whites or those old folks on SS and Medicare.....

So they build their McMansions behind gated communities and put safe rooms in their houses.... they think they'll be safe there.

[evlbstrd]

6. It is ever thus.

[movonne]

7. I am beginning to believe this is so, and that also includes lots of

Dems in this screwing of America

[jody]

8. Greed corrupts and absolute greed corrupts absolutely! Absent moral

guidelines like "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", the operating dogma for worshipers of mammon is "Do unto others before they find out what you are doing".

[willing dwarf]

9. Those with wealth & power don't care about anything else...

What is the real pity is how many who will never make it into the 2% club will always side with the very wealthy, against their own best interest, and against the interests of the poor, just because they are eager to identify with that crowd. It's such a con. We sell ourselves out over and over.

[HughBeaumont]

11. "I don't want to stick it to the rich, I'm going to BE that guy someday!"

And other such fairytale nonsense . . .

They're going to be such sad little diapers when the truth smacketh down upon them.

[Greyhound]

10. Of course they did, many generations ago. You had doubts? n/t

[DebJ]

13. Yes. Next question?

[Extend a Hand]

14. I used to think that was the stuff

of conspiracy theories but the more I read about:
Council on Foreign Relations
Bilderberg Group
Bohemian Grove
Trilateral Commission
Council for National Policy

It sure does look like a good bet.

[DebJ]

15. Law of Capitalism: take everything you can from everyone one

you can as often as you can. Use your rich buddies to work with you and together you can screw millions more!

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

16. No.

There is no need for a global conspiracy, for that is what the upper classes of the world agree{ing} together to screw everyone else means.

The upper classes of the world do it because:
1) It benefits them individually.
2) They can.

There are undoubtedly many international conspiracies, but I'm sure there are many more individual greed-heads who only look after themselves. There is danger in painting them as being larger or more organized than they really are.

[willing dwarf]

18. Very well said.

And the wheel of kharma will keep turning long after they're all gone.

[willing dwarf]

17. Let ting the dead bury the dead...

As for the very rich, those who bother to think about it, have Plato to back them up. In The Republic he lays out the whole blueprint of how the elite can control the masses by whispering in the ear of the king.

Learning to identify with the swarming masses, which is who we are, is the tricky thing. It requires critical thinking to begin to recognize that "I am not the sum of my spending power, nor the sum of my debt"

I don't worry too much about the extremely wealthy. Figuring out how to live and keep my humanity intact in this commercialized culture where everything is considered an exploitable commodity...that is the challenge it seems.

[BayCityProgressive]

19. of course

this is the natural course of capitalism. Now with most nationalist governments and "closed market" countries like the Soviet Bloc gone, the capitalists are free to enslave everyone. What do you think was behind the removal of Milosevic..Saddam...Aristide? Yes, Milosevic and Saddam were bad people but since when has the US cared about human rights? We merely invaded them to open their markets and steal their resources. This is why they hate Kim Jong Il, Castro, Chavez, Iran and other hold outs. Not because of Democracy and Human rights...because they want the capital from these countries.

[willing dwarf]

21. Oligarchy fuels itself.

It rolls on thoughtlessly, caring about little accept feeding its desires.

Of course they care enough to publish good press for the world view which it benefits them for us to hold.

[OnionPatch]

20. I don't believe they do it consciously

at least not all of them. Some undoubtedly do talk about it right out but for the most part I think it's subtle. They raise their children with little racist remarks and subtle hints that they are just better than your average Joe and they should be entitled to run everything. They have a sort of built-in attitude that they worked for and deserve everything they have and the rest of us have just been doing something wrong or are too stupid or have "bad breeding" or whatever. They also don't think we suffer much because we're used to not having much. So it's ok that they have everything and so many have nothing. Evidence of this attitude is in the Barbara Bush statement at the AstroDome.

I believe this because I've been around them and I've seen it.

[Dunedain]

22. Not everyone

just you ;)

[Terran1212]

23. I met my republican US Rep Saturday and...

He's a relatively wealthy, relatively xenophobic hawk, anti-illegal, anti-tax, pro-ss "reform" kind of guy (the typical republican; 2nd most republican district in US).

And as much as he supports all these "reforms" and "economic growth," I didn't get the feeling that he is part of a conspiracy. He honestly believes in this system that brings wealth to the very top, and he doesn't see any problem with it.

"Did the upper classes of the world agree together to screw everyone else?"

You're question implies that men like him (his name is TOM PRICE) are all sitting in a dark room and conspiring on how to get the most wealth from poor people (and eat their babies). That's not true. They all just come together from mutaul interest or belief in wealth. It's not a conscious conspiracy so much as a natural coming together of wealthy forces.

[JanMichael]

24. It's a silent agreement. If every rich fuck screws every local shmuck...

...then the system works. The occasional multi-national agreemnet has to be enforsed but the local dicks have to keep the local plebes under their collective thumb.

Fuck them all!